Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal are the trio basketball fans needed after seeing years of sports experts spouting their “hot takes” as actual facts. Their banter comes off as “refreshing” compared to the ones the general audience sees on other sports shows. Barkley, especially, has some of the most hilarious takes on the show.

Whether it comes to the game or the clothes that are worn by players, Barkley always has his comments ready. “Chuck” as he is fondly known, is very beloved for his frank demeanour and his words that often cut deeper than any other ex-player on any channel.

The “straight man” of the trio, Kenny “The Jet” Smith recently revealed that beefing with Charles Barkley is impossible. “Chuck is a flashlight. I know y’all had some beefs. Everybody has some beef with him,” said the two-time NBA winner. “He looks at life through a flashlight and not a floodlight,” said Smith.

He mentioned that with a flashlight, he can see only a few things but not many. “But sometimes the flashlight is super accurate because he’s pointing directly at you but sometimes he misses things”.

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According to Kenny, it was his job to bring the “floodlight” to the situation and to present the full truth and not “half” truth. “He has an accuracy point to it that can rub you the wrong way. He’s accurate but he’s a flashlight” concluded Smith.

Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith: Colleagues for over two decades

Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley have been regular staples of the show “Inside the NBA”. They both have been in it since 1998 and 2000 respectively. Both have had contrasting playing careers. Barkley has been one of the few great players not to win an NBA Title, on the other hand, Kenny was a role player in the Hakeem Olajuwon led Houston Rockets team.

They won two successive titles in 1994 and 1995. Smith is often discredited by young fans as someone who rode on the coattails of Olajuwon but that might not be true. His numbers do reflect his usefulness as a role player in the Rockets set-up. Meanwhile, as said above, Barkley despite being a bonafide player hasn’t yet got a ring.

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Kenny and Barkley might have contrasting personalities and careers, but they have matched together for over two decades as analysts.